Polymer Processing

So how do we turn polymers into the products that we use in our daily lives, and how do these mechanical properties influence the processability of polymers? Definitely, we need to keep in mind how the skeletal structure of the polymer will affect the general mechanical properties (i.e., a highly crosslinked thermoset is going to be processed somewhat differently than a linear thermoplastic). But, in general, processing methods have three phases:

1. heating to soften or melt
2. shaping/forming under constraint
3. cooling to retain shape

The most common processing approaches are injection molding, extrusion, blow molding (these three are mostly useful for thermoplastics) and compression molding (more useful for thermosets). Because it is so much easier to see how processing is done through video, please watch this video (6:08) which summarizes the most common approaches to polymer processing:

Most polymer products you use on a day to day basis are made by injection molding. If you are interested, I highly suggest watching this interesting video (9:36):